I owe a lot of my passion for food (and fancy restaurants) to one specific friend. We met almost 10 years ago when we were both eating very differently than we do today. Me – the queen of picky eating, him – the king of the dieters. Since then, we have shared many meals, in many cities. Most of them very fabulous. We love trying new places together and have been to very few repeats. Plus, it helps that he’s an expert at getting impossible reservations!
We went to Cava. Dinner for four. We had an amazing pinot noir (ok, two bottles) – Josef Chromy. Usually, I drink cocktails or sometimes white wine (my preference is light bodied, non oaky). But this wine was perfect with our meal – easy to drink, great flavour.
You get the option of ordering from the menu or having them bring you food. We did a little of both. Oddly enough, the selections we made were mostly vegetables. The dishes our amazing waitress selected for us were almost exactly what we would have chosen for ourselves. Dishes came out one by one – fast and furiously. It seemed like the right pace for our 8:15 weeknight meal.
From the beginning….
Watermelon salad with unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese and pickled ramps – While I was a big fan, this had mixed reviews. One friend said the watermelon tasted artificially flavoured since it was compressed. Everyone loved the pickle ramps. I could eat them on anything. Overall a good start to a great meal.
Compressed watermelon salad
Fried shishito peppers with gazpacho chaser – a good charred shishito pepper is everyone’s friend. One person got a really spicy one (it’s like pepper roulette when you eat them, good luck!). 4 peppers weren’t enough for our crowd, but we played nice and shared the soup too. A good pairing.
Bruschetta of edamame, grilled green onions, Moroccan olives and Sicilian tomatoes – a group favourite (and must order), we were debating if there was cheese mixed in with the edamame. No cheese, but a light, nicely salted, whipped edamame base topped with super flavourful roasted vegetables. This was one of the dishes selected for us.
Papas fritas – very complicated name for fries. They were fried with rosemary, other herbs and served in a cone. There’s a small hole cut into each table to put the stand of the cone into. You can tell this is a super popular choice. Who doesn’t like fries?
Kingfish ceviche verde – I didn’t try this, but it was presented with tortilla chips. The group seemed to like it, but didn’t finish it
Roast sablefish with black rice and braised escarole – while I’m not a fan of fish and seafood, I do make some exceptions. This was a really light and tasty fish with two great sides. The rice was creamy and the escarole soft and only slightly bitter. Overall, a great plate.
Fish too pretty not to eat
Venison anticucho with a warm red cabbage salad – for my first time tasting venison, this skewer was a winner. Slightly gamey (think a cross between lamb and beef), it had a nice texture. Apparently, venison is usually more gamey, but this was a good introduction. The cabbage was kind of pickled like a slaw – I loved it. I thought it was a little odd that the waitress served this with the brussel sprouts (next item) since cabbage and sprouts are similar… that being said…
Roasted brussel sprouts with black garlic – roasted to perfection with the excellent, pungent taste of black garlic (another thing I had meant to try). I kept spooning these on to my plate.
Seven vegetable quinoa “couscous” with marcona almonds and dates – Nothing couscous about this, it was a cross between Indian and Moroccan flavours and ingredients. Chickpeas were in the mix, but the biggest seller was the almonds. They were spiced with a curry-esque flavouring, I couldn’t stop eating them.
Forty-eight hour beef brisket with white puree and chimichurri – I was pretty excited for this dish, but it fell a little flat for me. The brisket was too fatty (you will RARELY hear me say that) and the chimichurri was sort of like roasted greens. It didn’t pack the usual zesty punch I was looking for. I couldn’t identify the white puree, but it was decent. Not a bad dish, but not a great way to end such a spectacular dinner.
Churros – pretty unfair for me to comment since I ordered one without cinnamon. For me, the chocolate sauce they came with was too dark or bitter. Everyone else enjoyed them.
Best: Bruschetta of edamame, grilled green onions, Moroccan olives and Sicilian tomatoes by far. I would go back just for these and the wine. But I would obviously order other things too!
Not the best: 48 hour beef brisket with white puree and chimichurri. Get braised brisket elsewhere, like at a bbq restaurant.
1560 Yonge St. (Yonge and St Clair)
not foodies. 